This invention relates in general to liquid treatment and, more particularly, to a chemical feeder with a disposable chemical container for use in a system for treating liquid circulating therethrough.
Heretofore, various efforts have been made to develop disposable or throw-away containers of canisters for treatment chemicals utilized in liquid circulating systems, such as those for potable water, for swimming pools and the like. Such containers or canisters are normally used in conjunction with a chemical feeding apparatus for delivering the liquid to be treated to such containers and being adapted for conducting the developed solution into the related system. The liquid level within such containers, which is determinative of the concentration of the formed solution, is generally controlled by the user punching out or severing one of several vertically arranged scored members provided in the side wall of the container. This is a relatively inexact method of establishing the concentration since the number of such scored members are limited and each must be of reasonable size for effectiveness. Furthermore, there are inherent variations in the containers so that the removal of a corresponding scored member in a replacement container or canister does not necessarily assure of maintenance of the concentration provided by the precourser container. Accordingly, the historic use of scored portions has been with the recognition of the relative inexactness in concentration permitted thereby.
Another type of disposable container is one adapted for threaded engagement within the feeding apparatus and which also embodies the aforementioned scored portions. Thus, the threading is one more effort required by the user and one which entails great care in installation in order to assure that the removed scoring will be in the appropriate disposition for the selected concentration. But none of such prior efforts have provided fine adjustment as to concentration nor assurance that a subsequent container will be so disposed as to produce the same concentration as its predecessor.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a chemical feeder for a liquid circulating system which feeder is adapted to receive a disposable or replaceable container of chemicals for treatment of the liquid and with there being unique level control means for determining the concentration of liquid admitted to the container.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a chemical feeder of the type stated having a liquid level control member penetrable into the disposable container to a predetermined height which is adapted to retain its condition of adjustment so that with a succeeding container disposed thereover the same concentration of solution is reliably maintained.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a chemical feeder of the type stated wherein the disposition of the container within the feeder does not require any physical alteration of the container nor any interengagement of the same therewith.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a chemical feeder of the type stated which, by virtue of unique cooperation with a disposable chemical container, is productive of most efficacious operation in providing the treatment agent to the associated system which permits of a replenishment of supply of the requisite chemical in a most facile manner.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a chemical feeder of the character stated which is adapted for substantially extremely fine adjustment for concentration control with such adjustments being accurate and easily effected. Heretofore, only a limited number of concentrations had been obtainable in related structures but with the present invention the range of adjustment is unusually extensive.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a feeder of the character stated which is most economically produced, as well as being most effective and economical in operation; which is constituted of a simplicity of components so as to be resistant to breakdown and which is exceedingly durable in usage.